1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pair of auxiliary lights to be conveniently and unobtrusively carried at the opposite sides of a motorcycle in order to cooperate with the standard front headlamp and thereby advantageously provide the operator with a wider field of view including both frontal and lateral illumination so as to be able to better see approaching objects and landmarks.
2. Background Art
A conventional motorcycle is usually provided with a single headlamp that is mounted at the front of the vehicle. Therefore, light is directed entirely ahead of the operator which results in a limited field of view. That is, the standard front headlamp offers little, if any, side illumination. Consequently, the operator will be unable to gain the benefit of an early visualization of certain approaching objects and landmarks that are located along the sides of the roadway. Once the object and/or landmark is finally illuminated by the front headlamp, there may be little time remaining for the operator to properly react as would be required under the circumstances. Such a reduced field of view and correspondingly reduced reaction time on especially dark nights can increase safety risks for both the operator as well as approaching pedestrians and vehicles. Moreover, it is sometimes difficult for such approaching pedestrians and vehicles to clearly see the motorcycle, especially during foggy conditions. What is even more, the operator may altogether miss or be unable to read signs or other markers along the roadway which offer directions or provide indications of the oncoming terrain.
Reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,656 to Kazuo Morishima for an example of a supplementary light source for a motorcycle.
In general terms, disclosed below is a pair of right and left auxiliary lights that are connected to the existing framework of a motorcycle so as to cooperate with the standard front headlamp thereof to provide the operator with an expanded field of view including both lateral and frontal illumination, whereby the operator will now be better able to see approaching individuals and landmarks along the roadway so as to have more time to react thereto. The pair of auxiliary lights are adapted to be easily and conveniently mounted at opposite sides of the motorcycle, regardless of manufacturer.
Each of the auxiliary lights includes a metallic housing to enclose a halogen style bulb, or the like. A detachable foot peg bracket is attached to a first side of the housing, and one foot peg of the motorcycle is pivotally connected to the foot peg bracket between a pair of spaced, diagonally extending flanges thereof. A first row of fasteners runs along the first side of the housing. Therefore, the foot peg bracket to which the foot peg is pivotally connected can be easily detached from and reattached to any position along the first side of the housing depending upon the motorcycle. A pair of the first row of fasteners running along the first side of the housing are relatively long to assure a reliable connection of the detachable foot peg bracket to the housing of each of the pair of auxiliary lights. By virtue of its pivotal connection to the foot peg bracket, each foot peg may be rotated to an out of the way position at which to enable the motorcycle to be laid flat on its side against the ground.
A second side of the housing of one (i.e. the left) of the pair of auxiliary lights has a second row of fasteners running therealong. A detachable shift mount bracket is attached to the second side of the housing by means of a pair of relatively long fasteners from the second row thereof. Therefore, the shifter mount bracket can be easily detached from and reattached to any position along the second side of the housing depending upon the motorcycle. The motorcycle shift pedal is connected to the motorcycle shift rod via a coupling of the shift arm to the gear box linkage at a (e.g. needle) bearing formed through the detachable shifter mount bracket at the second side of the housing.